


somewhere in the mess

by iamsiriuslyriddikulus



Category: Glee
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2020-07-01
Packaged: 2021-03-04 17:46:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25010341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iamsiriuslyriddikulus/pseuds/iamsiriuslyriddikulus
Summary: 90's AU. Kurt and Sebastian are set up on a blind date by Santana, but unbeknownst to her, they have a history.
Relationships: Kurt Hummel/Sebastian Smythe
Comments: 6
Kudos: 35





	somewhere in the mess

When Santana sets him up with someone, Kurt almost says no, but at twenty-eight after seven failed dates in a row, he’s in no position to refuse. “What’s his name?” he asks.

“Sebastian,” she says, and for a moment, he feels a flicker of fear, but he pushes it back—not before Santana spots it, however. “What’s wrong?”

“Knew a guy in high school named Sebastian. He was full of himself and a bit of a dick. It’s just a bad association.” He omits a few careful details, but there’s no need for Santana to know those. And when he shudders, and she laughs.

"Can’t promise this one’s too different, but it’s charming when he isn’t getting on your nerves.” She shrugs, and Kurt wonders why the knot in his stomach feels so tight. Rather than harping, he puts his headphones back on and turns the volume on his CD player all the way up.

He makes it to the bar early, and he’s just on his second Negroni when he hears a familiar voice behind him. “Kurt?” His palms start to sweat, and for a moment, he debates feigning unawareness, pretending that’s not him. But sooner or later, Sebastian will see him, and he’s always been infuriatingly clever.

He turns around and braces himself. "Hello Sebastian.”

Sebastian’s jaw clenches, and he lets out a sharp hiss of air. “Oh my god, it’s _you_. When I heard the name Kurt, I wondered, but I didn’t actually think—”

“Same.” He nods stiffly and shoves his free hand in his back pocket. They stare at each other for a moment before Kurt relents and adjusts his stance, crossing his legs and balancing his weight more on his right as he speaks. “Jeff said you were planning to move to New York, but I never knew you actually did.”

Kurt’s sure that Sebastian will find some excuse to leave. His eyes dart around past Kurt from the bar to another empty table to the exit. But Sebastian surprises him and steps forward, leaning forward against the bar to get the attention of the bartender.

“Two tequila shots and an old fashioned.” Sebastian fishes out cash and places it on the bar. The music is loud enough to mask the silence, but Kurt’s chest feels tighter by the minute. His breath feels caught halfway down his throat by the time the bartender places the drinks in front of Sebastian. His eyes hover on the two shots, and Sebastian catches him because he scoffs. “Please, don’t flatter yourself. They’re both for me.” He downs both of them, grabs the old fashioned, and points toward an empty table.

“When did you move?” Kurt asks when they’re both settled down. In the corner, the music is a little less overwhelming, but there’s still enough noise that Kurt knows he should probably be leaning in. At this rate, his throat will be raw from yelling soon enough. But if Sebastian isn’t willing to bend forward, neither will he.

“It was a year in July.” Sebastian takes a swig of his drink. “I got tired of Paris.”

“And this was after you were tired of London?” Sebastian’s eyes narrow, but he nods. “Lucky you. Must be nice.”

“Green was never a good color on you, Kurt,” Sebastian bites back.

“Please, as if I’m jealous.” The words don’t sound convincing, even to him, and he finishes his drink in two gulps. “I’m getting something else.” The chair skids loudly on the floor behind him as he stands up and pushes it back.

“Get me something too.” Sebastian finishes his drink and holds out his empty glass. Kurt stares and imagines knocking it out of Sebastian’s hands to shatter on the ground, but he doesn’t want to make a scene. Sebastian pulls out a twenty. “I’ll pay.”

It’s low, and they both know it. Kurt grinds his teeth and snatches it before turning on his heels and making his way to the bar. He has to take a steadying breath not to snap at the bartender when he asks Kurt what he’s having. “I’ll have a shot of Baileys, an amaretto sour, and an Olympia.” A smug sense of satisfaction runs over him at the thought of Sebastian’s face when he places the cheep beer down in front of him.

Sure enough, Sebastian doesn’t disappoint. “You get yourself a shot and a proper drink, and you give me this shit?” Sebastian frowns, but he’s never been one to refuse alcohol, and Kurt can sense that now isn’t any different. After some grumbling, he takes a sip, and despite his immediate wince, Kurt is certain that he won’t let a drop go to waste.

"So, what do you do when you’re not _trying_ to act?”

“Who’s to say I’m not just acting?” Kurt asks, and Sebastian rolls his eyes.

“I’m not an idiot. It’s not like you’re in _Rent_ or anything, and it’s not exactly a well-paying job unless you’re on a marquee where it counts. You were always so fucking stubborn about it.”

“I made it to the call backs for _Bat Boy_.”

Sebastian sighs. “Not everything’s a jab at you—believe it or not. I know you have talent. It’s just impossible to break in. It’s why I changed majors in college.” The compliment catches him off-guard, and Kurt’s shoulders drop, though he looks at Sebastian warily.

“It is.”

“Ten fucking years, and you still don’t know how to take a compliment. Unbelievable.”

Once the alcohol kicks in, it’s becomes more bearable. For brief moments, when he gets lost in what Sebastian’s saying, he can almost forget, as if ten years haven’t passed and they aren’t different people. As if _it_ had never happened. In fact, he surprises himself when he catches himself, elbow propped on the table, chin in his hands, leaning towards Sebastian as he speaks, drawn in.

He’s no less captivating than he was when they were young. Despite his many infuriating qualities, when he speaks, he fills the room. Kurt’s always been envious of Sebastian’s gift at storytelling and his unique ability to make every person feel like they’re only one in the room. Even now, the rest of the bar fades away until it’s just a faint buzz as Sebastian shares a story about an absinthe-fueled night in Paris.

“There we were under the Eiffel Tower, and this guy tells us he’s ordained, and he has one night left in Paris, and it’s his dream to marry someone there. And my friends are sure he’s just drunk and full of shit, and they say yes, but then he stands up and straightens his back like—” Sebastian mimes it, placing his shoulders back and pushing out his chest. “And he just goes into it, and we all realize that he’s definitely ordained. He had this mini Bible and everything it turns out.”

“Is it really as beautiful as it looks in the movies?” Kurt asks and feels immediately dumb. But if Sebastian judges the question, his face doesn’t reveal it.

“I mean, it’s kind of this iron monstrosity, and mostly I hate it, but sometimes when you’re alone at night, and it’s there just towering, if you squint just right or if you’re drunk enough that it’s blurry, it almost blends into the sky with the stars, and then it’s breathtaking.”

Kurt feels Sebastian’s hand brush against his, and his face flashes hot and red. He yanks it back and flounders, trying to find something to say, but he’s suddenly aware of how dry his mouth is. “That sounds nice,” he finally settles on, and he cups his glass with both hands as his eyes fall down to it.

“ _Kurt_.” Sebastian’s voice is low, nearly a growl, and despite his better judgment, Kurt looks up. When they meet gazes, his heart hammers against his chest, and his whole body reels, dizzy. Even though it’s been more than a decade, here in this shitty dive bar, he feels sixteen and reckless and alive in a way he hasn’t since the charm of New York first wore off.

"I need to get another drink,” Kurt says, despite the fact that his is clearly half-full, but when he stands up, so does Sebastian. 

“Don’t.” And when Sebastian leans down, Kurt doesn’t step back. His eyes close, and he lets out a soft moan as Sebastian’s lip press hard against his, and Sebastian’s arms wrap around his waist. A shiver runs up his back, and his entire body feels on edge as he kisses Sebastian back and closes both hands around Sebastian’s shirt.

When Sebastian pulls back, he nearly falls forward. “Fuck.” The words jar him out of the daze, and he can feel everything crashing down around him. Without another word, Sebastian turns around and walks away. 

Kurt watches as the crowd swallows him and collapses back in his chair.

**Author's Note:**

> I'd love to hear your theories as to what happened between Kurt and Sebastian. I have my own idea, but much like Gossip Girl, I'll never tell.


End file.
